2. Design Pillars
Tim Jones: Hello, BlizzCon! So what exactly is WoW: Forever? For us, it begins with a simple belief: there are still adventures worth telling in the original world of Azeroth. We’re not looking beyond Azeroth for the next chapter. We’re not moving forward to Outland and beyond. Instead, we’re looking deeper into the world players already fell in love with.
The Eastern Kingdoms, Kalimdor, the places we’ve traveled through for decades. We’re revisiting mysteries that were never fully explored, stories that were never fully told, regions that existed on the map but never had the chance to become adventures of their own. We believe Azeroth still has secrets worth uncovering.
And that’s what WoW: Forever is, not expanding away from Azeroth, but expanding deeper inside of it. So before we show you exactly where that journey begins, I want to talk briefly about the principles guiding every decision that we’ve made.
Core Pillar #1: Approachable + Familiar
First: “Approachable and Familiar.” We believe the world should still feel like Classic. Every addition we make is measured against the spirit of the original game. Not whether it’s new, not whether it is flashy, but whether it feels like it belongs.
That’s why you won’t find flying mounts. You won’t find level scaling. And Azeroth should remain a dangerous world where preparation matters, communication matters, and working together matters. Yes! Thank you. We’re not interested in making the game difficult simply for difficulty’s sake. When challenges are overcome, we want it to be because players prepared, learned, cooperated, and succeeded together.
Core Pillar #2: World as a Main Character
Now, second: “World as the Main Character.” We believe Azeroth itself should be one of the most important characters in the game. Leveling is just as important as Endgame. And we want to keep investing in the world itself through new zones, new quests, new rewards, and new adventures across all levels of play.
Not every story needs to be about saving the world. Sometimes the most memorable stories happen in a remote village, along a forgotten road, or a corner of the map that you never expected to revisit.
Core Pillar #3: Journey Before Destination
Now, third: “Journey Before Destination.” We believe your effort should matter, and it should continue to matter. Wow: Forever is designed as a long-term home. We’re not planning around future level cap increases that invalidate your accomplishments. The professions you invest in matter, the routes you choose matter, and the gear you earn matters. The experiences that you have with friends matter.
Our catch-up system is quite simple. Play the game. Level up. Run dungeons, make friends, explore the world, earn your rewards.
Core Pillar #4: Protect and Nurture Social Experiences
And finally: “Protect and Nurture Social Experiences.” Many of our favorite memories from Classic happen because of other players, because someone helped us complete a quest, because a stranger joined our group, because a dungeon run turned into a friendship. We have had to be disciplined when adding convenience to the game because every quality-of-life decision affects how players interact with one another.
Now, we want to create reasons for people to explore and adventure together, and that’s part of the philosophy behind new systems like camping. And it’s why every patch will include content for different kinds of players, whether you enjoy solo adventures, dungeons, raids, PvP, or something in between.
Because the best adventures are the ones that we share. So those pillars guide every decision that we make, but what do they actually mean in practice? For us, it starts with Azeroth itself.
| BLIZZCON 2026 WORLD OF WARCRAFT: WHAT'S NEXT PANEL TRANSCRIPT | ||||
| 1. Intro | 2. Design Pillars | 3. New Zones | 4. Cultures | |
